Norsemen

As a huge fan of Monty Python, I couldn't help but notice the stylistic resemblance, and if you like their approach, this comedy is a must see.

Summary: modern life issues in a Dark Ages set, as seen through the eyes of a few Viking villagers.

Then, as if the contrasting modern issues and the medieval set were not enough, there is another hilarious clash, the cultural differences between the Norse village inhabitants and the rest of the world, through the ideas come from afar, with the slaves they bring with them after a successful raid.

This series also reminds me a bit of Woody Allen's Love and Death, in a sense that one of the main characters is a total misfit, having a completely different philosophy compared to the rest of the villagers. He seems just trapped in a time and place where he doesn't belong (the irony!).

All in all, I love Norsemen, a sarcastic take on all that's wrong with us today. It is rather a micro-social kind of satire, but I wouldn't be surprised if some current largely debated global issues made their way into the series at some point.

Firstly; I'm biased here. I've known Øystein Martinsen, who plays Kark, for 35 years. He is the shows breakout star as the ever opthimist thrall (spoke to him after it aired, they ripped alot from Monty Python). Second; I stopped watching after ep 1 of the 3rd season. It was aired on Netflix by then with NO Norwegian language. For those who don't know, every scene was directed 2 times, one in native Norwegian, the same after in English. And the jokes just fall flat in English. Besides that, this is NOT a parody on more famous Vikings. It's more a tribute to the creators heroes, the Pythons. I enjoyed the first 2 seasons alot, with some of the best actors we have in Norway towing it. Actually surprised that a show this bloody could get a mass appeal, but it did. Kark rules!

I heard such great things about Norsemen for awhile now but still put off watching it for some reason. I'm so glad that I finally gave it a chance because it's hilarious! It's a Viking comedy that's equally funny and violent. It's a sendup of Game of Thrones. It just has such a tongue in cheek, nonchalant approach to everything they do and where the entire cast gets a chance to shine. It will have you laughing throughout the entire series. Each season is as funny as the others. The writers of this show are genius. I've never seen Monty Python but I've seen this get compared to that a lot. At least as far as the humor goes. Don't be like me and go watch this incredibly funny show immediately!

I have to be honest, I never heard of Norsemen while it was on. This last season just ended and I just recently heard about it and that's because of the incredible word of mouth surrounding this show. Most of the reviews here all say the same thing...this show is funny. And they're right. It's gotten great reviews from both the audience and critics, it has a 90% of Rotten Tomatoes right now. The first two seasons were incredibly funny, the third is still funny, just not as good as the first two. It obviously is a show making fun of shows like Vikings but it's more than that, it's a good show in its own right. How they made Vikings funny is beyond me but they did it.

This came as something of a surprise as it's unbelievably well rounded for a first season. Great characters, very funny in places but also with some very dark humour and a lot of incidental violence (so this is absolutely not general family viewing!).

One thing to note: it's Norwegian but available on Netflix in English. Don't fear poor dubbing though as it's performed in both languages by the same actors which means you lose nothing in the process.

Final point is how well made it is from a production point of view - it's not a show that particularly needs high production values but it has them. Very much so.

A great show all round.